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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Mark Walker

Servette hero adamant Rangers won't spoil his Champions League dream

Servette hero keeper Joel Mall insists there is no chance Rangers will spoil his dream of playing Champions League football after their ten men shocked Genk.

The Swiss team stunned heavy favourites Genk by eliminating them on penalties after a 2-2 draw where they were forced to play 117 minutes with ten men after French striker Enzo Crivelli was sent off after just three minutes, with the match going to extra time.

Servette were even further hindered after an hour after their No.1 keeper Jeremy Frick had to be substituted after a knee injury and was replaced by Cypriot international back-up Mall, who came on for his debut having only signed from Olympiakos Nicosia last month.

And the 32-year-old shotstopper was the hero as he made a string of saves and helped win the penalty shootout for Servette. Now he can't wait to face Rangers.

He said: "It was a crazy game and I'm still recovering from it!

"We played against a team who should have beaten us and were better than us on paper. But that didn't matter in the end.

"It was a new situation for me. One minute I was sitting on the bench and the next I was right in the action. It was a big challenge.

"But I actually didn't have that much to do. We practice facing penalty kicks and it paid off.

"Bringing the Champions League to Geneva and playing in the group stages would be a dream for me.

"A year ago I was without a club and I was considering retiring from football.

"And after this game, we have to believe anything is possible in our next challenge against Rangers,

"But for now we have to concentrate on the derby against Stade Lausanne Ouchy. I hope I can keep my place."

The Insider newsletter is the latest move by the team at the Rangers Review to bring content directly to you. We already have accounts on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Tik Tok and Instagram but we will also send exclusive bespoke opinion pieces every day at 5pm direct to your email. Not only will you receive this piece from one of our team of Joshua Barrie, Derek Clark or Jonny McFarlane but you will also get our list of the best content published in the last 24 hours. It's a handy way to keep abreast of what's going on amid all the noise surrounding Scotland's most successful club. You can sign up in five seconds with just an email address here.

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